The Florida Department of Corrections has settled a gas billing dispute with the Town of Century by making a $302 thousand dollar payment.

The town received the $302,488.40 check Thursday, Century Mayor Freddie McCall said, to cover back gas billings for the Century Correctional Institute.

The dispute stemmed from billing practices that dated back to 2000. Under the town’s agreement with the DOC and Century Correctional Institute, the prison was to pay for natural gas at the rate of 120 percent of the town’s actual cost. The town’s billing system would generate a bill at the normal rate, then town employees would re-rate the bill and send a new bill about 10 days later at the 120 percent rate. That adjustment was originally done twice a year based upon the rate from nine months earlier.

But in 2000, there was spike in natural gas prices, Matt Dannheisser, the town’s attorney said, and the town went back to the DOC that agreed to pay 100 percent of the town’s cost on a monthly basis. But they did not agree to pay the 20 percent profit margin until a new agreement was reached.

Town Accountant Robert Hudson had reported to the council several months ago that the DOC owed about $569,000 in back payments. But that amount included $127,000 in interest that Dannheisser said the DOC was not willing to pay, and the DOC disputed some of the billing amounts.

The check received Thursday will be deposited into the town’s gas fund, McCall said, with the town council to make the eventual decision what to do with the funds.

“This is exciting that we finally have the money we were owed,” McCall said, “and we can move forward.”

Charges have been dropped against two Century men that were accused of dog fighting in Santa Rosa County.

Jeffery Jay, 34, and Michael Anthony Jones, 38, both of Century, were charged with training or baiting animals for fighting.

A judge has tossed out the case against Jay and Jones because animal control officers accidentally euthanized pit bills that belonged to the two men. Only the dogs that belonged to a third man were supposed to be destroyed.

Raymond Eugene Teamer, 42, of Milton was charged with 35 counts of training or baiting animals for fighting and two counts of possessing or selling dog fighting equipment, all third degree felonies, in connection with a raid on his property in Milton back in November of last year. He was sentenced in court Friday to 15 years in state prison.

The Century men were arrested in early November following a traffic stop as they left Teamer’s Milton home. Two fighting dogs were found in the back of their truck, according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Department. Other items that are used in the dog fighting community were also found in the vehicle. Both were released on $10,000 bond each the same day.

That traffic stop led to the search of Teamer’s home.

Investigators have been investigating Teamer for months in an effort to break up a large scale operation in which Teamer was breeding high dollar pit bulls for fighting other dogs in multiple states.

A search warrant was then obtained for Teamer’s residence. When the search warrant was executed, investigators found approximately 30 pit bull dogs located on the nine acre parcel of land owned by Teamer. These dogs were spread throughout Teamer’s property, chained fast to steel posts embedded in the ground with heavy industrial chains. The majority of the dogs had wounds, both fresh and healed, that are consistent with dog fighting activities. The investigation revealed that Teamer breeds these dogs specifically for the purpose of fighting. Numerous records, trophies, and other items were located on Teamer’s property that document Teamer’s activity of breeding, selling and fighting these dogs.

Multiple agencies and entities assisted with the investigation, including the collection and removal of the dogs from the property. The Flomaton Police Department as well as the Flomaton Animal Shelter also assisted in the investigation, due to the majority of the dog fights occurring in their jurisdiction.

The former president of the Jay Elementary School PTO has been sentenced in connected with the theft of more than $1,500 from the organization.

Jennifer Wolters, 31, entered a plea of no contest on grand theft charges for using a school debit card to obtain over $1,500 that she then spent, among other things, at casinos in Biloxi. She was sentenced to 18 months probation and 100 hours of community service.

Wolters was arrested on the charges back in March. She had already repaid the money to the PTO at the time of her arrest.

The FFA members recently finished the Pensacola Interstate Fair booth and placed second. This is a major accomplishment because Ernest Ward was the only middle school competing against four high schools. The theme was “ Wearing Official FFA Dress is Priceless!!!!” We also had to include various agricultural products including a jar of honey donated by our own beekeeper, Aden Davis, a sixth grader at EWMS.

Also at the fair, EWMS students Marisa Penland and Devin Bell each showed various livestock.

Our annual sweet potato sale will be November 3rd through November 14th. We will be selling twenty pound bags for $7.00 each, and they will be available in white or red. Bags of potatoes can be ordered from any EWMS FFA member. Call the school for more information, 327-4283.

Pictured above: The Ernest Ward Middle School FFA booth at the Pensacola Interstate Fair. Pictured below: FFA members work on the fair booth. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

A McDavid man won not one, but eight second chance drawings from the Florida Lottery on Wednesday.

Gary Smith of McDavid won eight Indiana Jones second-chance packages from the final drawing for the Florida Lottery scratch-off game.

There were 2,100 prize packages valued at $583 each awarded. Each included an Indiana Jones 100% wool brown fedora hat, a long-sleeve Explorer shirt, a genuine cowhide leather jacket, a leather satchel and an Indiana Jones t-shirt.

There were a few others that won more than once, including a Tampa man that won five of the prize packages.

In the Indiana Jones scratch-off games, players could enter the second chance drawing by entering their losing ticket numbers online.